Top 10 Highest margins of defeat in Tests

Test cricket has a vast history in which there have been victories and defeats of some huge magnitude. There have been instances of teams losing in 2 days, or sometimes batting for 2 days at a stretch to save a Test match.

But whether it is modern day cricket or the cricket of yesteryears, there have been instances in which some of the teams have suffered defeats that have surpassed the definition of getting humiliated. Some defeats were aided by the weather and pitches while some were an outcome of pure failure of batting and bowling from a team. With that in mind, we present to you the top 10 highest margins of defeat in Test history by runs:

10. England – 384 runs v Australia, Brisbane 2002-03:

Most of the list is filled with the encounters between England and Australia as they were the only two teams that played most of the cricket in the formative years of the game. But this match is a pretty modern one from the Ashes of 2002-03 played at Brisbane.

Australia made 492 on the back of centuries from Matthew Hayden (197) and Ricky Ponting (123). England replied with 325 with half-centuries from Trescothick, Butcher, Hussain, and Crawley. Australia replied with 296/5 dec. with Hayden scoring his second century of the match, Australia set England a target of 464.

Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne picked up 4/36 and 3/29 respectively to bundle England for just 72 runs and win the match by a mammoth 384 runs. Naturally, Hayden was named the Man of the match.

9. England – 405 runs v Australia, Lord’s 2015:

One of the most recent matches in which Australia demolished England by a mammoth 405 runs in the 2015 Ashes at Lord’s, the mecca of cricket.

Australia scored a mammoth 556/8 dec. with Chris Rogers making 173 and Steve Smith making his first double hundred 215. England replied with 312 with captain Alastair Cook top scoring with 96. Australia batted at more than 5 runs per over in their second innings and made 254/9 in 49 overs and declared their innings. David Warner made 83 and Steve Smith again made 53.

England was set a mammoth target of 509 runs and were dismissed for 103 runs. The hosts lost the match by 405 runs in what was their biggest loss of the 21^st century.

8. Australia – 408 runs v West Indies, Adelaide 1980:

Now Australia was at the other end of the stick. The year was 1980 and West Indies were at the peak of their powers and dominance. The Test was played at Adelaide and Australia put Windies in to bat and they scored 328 with captain Clive Lloyd scoring 121 runs. Dennis Lillie took 5 wickets. Australia replied with 203 with Allan Border scoring 54 and Colin Croft taking 4/57.

Windies fared better in their second innings and scored 448. This time, Alvin Kallicharan scored 106 and Richards and Greenidge both scored the 70s. Australia’s Geoff Dymock took 5/104. Australia was set a total of 574 runs but was blown away by the pace of West Indies bowling attack. No batsman managed to stick around and was dismissed for 165, with Michael Holding taking 4/40. Australia lost the match by massive 408 runs.

7. England – 409 runs v Australia, Lord’s 1948:

This match was played at the Lord’s and Australia batted first and scored 350 in their first innings, with Arthur Morris scoring 105. England was bowled out for just 215 with Ray Lindwall taking 5/70.

Australia made a big score of 460 runs with captain Don Bradman scoring 89 and Sid Barnes scoring 141. Keith Miller and Arthur Morris also contributed with half centuries. This set England an impossible target of 596 runs. But England’s luck didn’t turn as they were bowled out for 186 with Cyril Washbrook and Tom Dollery making 37 each. Australia’s Ernie Toshack took 5/40 and England lost by 409 runs.

6. England – 425 runs v West Indies, Old Trafford, 1976:

The tour and series of England in 1976 proved to be the start of West Indian dominance over the world of cricket. This was the 3^rd match of the series and West Indies chose to bat first and scored 211 runs with a majority of runs scored by Gordon Greenidge- 134. England’s Mike Selvey took 4/41.

England was literally blown away in their first innings for just 71 with Michael Holding taking 5/17 and Andy Roberts securing figures of 3/22. West Indies fared better in their second innings scoring 411/5 dec. with Greenidge making another century in 101 and Viv Richards making 135. England was set an improbable target of 552 runs.

But this time, it was Holding’s senior partner Andy Roberts who blew them away for 126 runs. Roberts took 6/37 while John Edrich scored the highest of 24 for England. West Indies won the Test by 425 runs and led the series 1-0.

5. Bangladesh – 465 runs v Sri Lanka, Chittagong 2008-09:

Bangladesh was granted Test status in 2000 and apart from Test wins over Zimbabwe and a depleted West Indian side has been found wanting when it comes to giving competition to the best sides in the world.

Sri Lanka toured Bangladesh and in the second Test of the 2 match series chose to bat and scored 384 in their first innings with Tillakaratne Dilshan making 162 and Chamara Kapugedera scoring 96. Bangladesh replied with 208 with fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza scoring the highest 63 runs. Ajantha Mendis took 4 wickets while Muralitharan got 3.

In the second innings, Sri Lanka ran up a total of 447/6 dec. Dilshan again made 143 with Sangakkara, Kapugedera and Samaraweera scoring half centuries. Bangladesh was set 624 runs to win, which was impossible for them. Instead of a fight, they surrendered for 158 runs, with only Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim scoring 40 runs each. Dilshan put in an all-round performance taking 4/10 and winning the match for Sri Lanka by a mammoth 465 runs.

4. Pakistan – 491 runs v Australia, Perth 2004-05:

Pakistan has always been a mercurial side in cricket. Sometimes they look like scoring even the steepest targets while sometimes surrendered even in simplest of  chases. One such example is this match from their tour to Australia in 2004-05.

In the first Test at Perth, Pakistan put Australia in to bat. Australia took the chance and scored 381 runs with Justin Langer scoring 191 and Gilchrist making 69 runs. Shoaib Akhtar picked up 5/99 for Pakistan. When Pakistan batted in their first innings, their batting failed for them and they were bundled out for 179, with Michael Kasprowicz taking 5/30.

Australia again posted 361/5 dec. with Langer again scoring 97, Ponting making 98 and Damien Martyn making 100*. Pakistan had to make 564 runs to win but were bundled for just 72 in their second innings with Glenn McGrath taking his career best 8/24. Pakistan lost the match by 491 runs, their biggest defeat in Tests.

3. South Africa – 530 runs v Australia, MCG, 1911-12:

The 4^th Test of South Africa’s tour to Australia in 1911-12 was a timeless Test. Australia batted first and scored 328 runs with Warren Bardsley making 82 and Vernon Ransford scoring 75. South Africa replied with 205 in their first innings in which Dave Nourse made 92.

Australia had a lead of 123 runs and in their second innings made a mammoth 578 runs. Warwick Armstong (132) and captain Clem Hill (100) top-scored for Australia. They were added by Victor Trumper’s 87 and Ransford’s 95. South Africa had all the time on their hands to make 702 runs since they were playing a timeless Test. They were eventually dismissed for 171 runs, with Aubrey Faulkner making 80 runs. Ranji Horden took 5/66 for Australia as they routed South Africa by 530 runs.

2. England – 562 runs v Australia, Kennington Oval, 1934:

Australia faced England in the 5^th Test of 1934 Ashes at Kennington Oval. They won the toss and batted first and scored 701. Bill Ponsford (266) and Don Bradman (244) added the then world record 451 runs.

England made 321 runs in their 1^st innings with Maurice Leyland making 110. Instead of making England follow-on, Australia batted again and scored 327 with Bradman and skipper Woodfull making 70s. Bill Bowes and Nobby Clark took 5 wickets each.

England was set a meager 708 runs to chase. Despite their best efforts, Clarie Grimmett’s 5/64 wiped England out for just 145 in their second innings. Australia won the match by 562 runs.

1. Australia – 675 runs v England, Brisbane 1928-29:

The 1^st Test of 1928-29 Ashes proved to be one of the worst Test matches for Australia in their Test history. England won the toss and batted first. Thanks to Patsy Hendren’s 169 and Harold Larwood’s 70, England scored 521 runs.

Australia managed just 122 in reply with Larwood taking 6/32. England made 342 in their second innings and with half-centuries from Phil Mead and Douglas Jardine set Australia a target of 742 runs. Australia completely capsized making just 66 runs in their second innings. Jack White took 4/7 and England completed the biggest victory in terms of runs in Test history by winning the match by 675 runs. On the side note, this was the debut match of Donald Bradman who scored 18 and 1 in his first 2 innings.

(All stats updated till 30th Dec 2015)